Politics
Party Says Housing Stock ‘woefully Unprepared’ for Extreme Heat and New Rules for Builders Must Be Set All New UK
News summary
- The party says British homes are dangerously unsuited to rising temperatures, meaning passive cooling measures such as planting more trees in residential areas are necessary.
- the climate crisis, according to the Liberal Democrats.
- The Lib Dems also want air conditioning to be mandatory in essential public buildings such as schools and health facilities.
Exclusive: Party says housing stock ‘woefully unprepared’ for extreme heat and new rules for builders must be set All new UK homes should be built with air conditioning to cope with the effects of the climate crisis, according to the Liberal Democrats. The party says British homes are dangerously unsuited to rising temperatures, meaning passive cooling measures such as planting more trees in residential areas are necessary. The Lib Dems also want air conditioning to be mandatory in essential public buildings such as schools and health facilities.
The problem of overwarm homes has been highlighted by a UK Health Protection Agency yellow alert for high temperatures to run from Tuesday morning until Friday morning for the south-east, south-west and east of England, the Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber. Temperatures in London are forecast to reach 32C (90F) on Wednesday, before cooling. Some other parts of the UK will be wet with notably lower temperatures.
As well as being hot, much of the summer has been exceptionally dry. In July so far, there has been just 5% of the average rainfall across England, falling to 1% in the south, bringing droughts and severe risk of wildfires. The Lib Dems’ “climate ready” programme would make it a legal requirement for new homes to have either air conditioning or another cooling system.
They say this is especially important for older people or those in poor health. The number of UK homes with air conditioning has doubled in the past three years amid rising temperatures, according to industry estimates. However, this still comes to only about 4m of the estimated 30m-plus homes in the country.
According to polling commissioned by the Lib Dems, 28% of people said they had bought a fan or an air conditioning unit during the recent heatwaves, with 26% of respondents saying the conditions had left them feeling unwell or faint. Tim Farron, the party’s environment spokesperson, said: “This latest set of relentless heatwaves has taught us that Britain is woefully unprepared for extreme heat, and families across Britain are paying for the cost of inaction.”
Source: Guardian Politics